Self-scoring target.



M. ST. C. ELLIS.

SELF SCORING TARGET. APPLIUATION FILED 11111.19, 1911.

Y1,041,258. Patented 0Gt.15,.1912.

roLumuA ILANOGRMH cu., WASHINGTON, u. c.

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ATF@ PATENT FFIQE.

MARK ST. CLAIR ELLIS, THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

SELF-SCORING TARGET.

Speccaton of `Letters Patent.

Patented @ctx 15,1912.

Application filed January 19, 1911, Serial No. 693,589.

lieutenant-commander of the United States Navy, stationed at the United States N aval Magazine, Mare Island, California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Scoring Targets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the ini'rention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invent-ion relates to targets of the electro-mechanical type, designed particularly for use in training boy scouts to shoot; but as the principles involved in its construction may be applied to any form of the United States Army or Navy regulation target, the right to use it for the same is hereby claimed.

It embodies the manifest advantages of self-marking targets over targets where thel marking is done by hand.

In the drawing attached hereto and forming part of the speciications, Figure l shows a front elevational view of the target, as a whole, assembled and ready for use. Fig. 2 shows a vertical central sectional view; Fig. 3 shows a detail view of the contact maker, and Fig. a shows a detail view of the method of securing the sections of armor plate to the supporting bulkhead.

Referring to the drawing, I describe the target as applied to a minat-ure target having dimensions of two feet wide, by three feet high.

The annunciator represented at A is of commerciall type, and has its front face made to representa miniature of the target face.

The battery shown at B is preferably of the storage battery type, and is connected in circuit in the electric cable C rIhe cable C leads from the annunciat-or A at the firing point to the back of the bulkhead D The target mechanism is securely attached to the base F, which may be made of wood or channel bar iron, as desired.

The paper or aiming target H is placed in front of the bulkhead D and held in common return.

the framework G. The reason for using this paper target H is that it cheaper and less trouble to use a paper target than it is to paint the faces of the designating plates hereinafter described.

bulkhead D is made of a strong steel `plate slightly smaller than the dimensions of the paper target. Its function is to provide a holder for the designating olates P. Attached to D by the through bolts 11, are the holding brackets S, and between the brackets 8 and the bulkhead D is the buffer 7, made of rubber or other through bolts l2 are the designating plates P. rIher-e are as many of the designating plates P as'the requirements of definition demand. The designating plates P are made of hard steel or armor plate. I have found a suitable steel which will stand indelinitely the impact of the bullet of the new Springfield riiie at 20() yards, and vet this armor plate is only 9,- thick. rIhe function of the rubber buffer 7 is to absorb the impact of the bullet when the plate P is struck and to prevent vibration from being set up in the bulkhead D, which would defeat the purposes of accurate scoring.

In Fig. 3 I show details of an improved contact making device. The spring 9 holds the ball K against the rear face of the designating plates. The designating plates and the spring 9 are wired electrically to the The spring l0 inside of the spring 9 and insulated therefrom is wired to its own section of the annunciator. Secured to the spring 10 is the cup L, against which K impinges and closes the electrical circuit when P is struck by the bullet. I provide means of adjusting the spring l0 by the pad eyes 13, and the fieX- ible wire 14.

Having thus described the various parts of my invention, the action of the target under fire is as follows: The tirer stands near the annunciator A, and aiming at the target H, strikes, let us assume, the number 4e area of the target. In the paper screen shown, the center, or number 5 is given the count of five, the next ring the count of four, the nent the count of three, and all outside thereof the count of two. The bullet striking the number 4 area of the paper target passes therethrough, and

rThe holding I resilient substance, and attached to 8 by the y fragments, but in so doing it imparts itsl energy to the designating plate P, and

` the shock is absorbed by the resilient buffer 7. At the same t-ime the enlarged point K of the spring 9' rebounds from the plate P touches the contact making cup L held by the spring 10. This makes a prolonged Contact, by the ball tip pressing against the cup attached to the inner spring and following it up to compression and release giving the electric current time to overcome the resistance in the Wire of the cable C, and to actuate an appropriate portion of the annunciator A. When the energy of the shock is dissipated, the contact maker and the plates resume their normal posit-ion. The action above described as taking place When a section of the number 4 is struck, is the same as that Which occurs When any other section is struck.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction as shown in the accompanying details, as a number of minor changes are foreseen which come Within the scope of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In self scoring targets the combination of ydesignating plates, brackets for supportling said plates, a holding bulkhead on which said brackets are mounted, with rub- 1bers not struck, anl annunciator and circuit ber buffers located between said brackets and said bulkhead as resilient shockabsorb ers to takeupy the blow of the bullet and prevent vibration in the designating mem- `closers consisting of helical springs with Weighted tips mounted on said buffers and normally resting against the designating plates, other springs carrying cups and lmounted on said buffers Within said first named springs, said Weighted tips adapted 'to leave saidplates When the latter are hand.

MARK ST. CLAIR ELLIS. lVitnesses:

S. A. DAUGHTY, R. I. Frrz GERALD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents. Washington, D. C. 

